50 cyclists ride bay of lights as they call for improved cycle lanes
The family demo aimed to show how many children would cycle to school if families felt it was safe
Torbay's Bike Mayor says the inaugural 'Festive Reindeer Ride' was a success as more than 50 cyclists followed the Bay of Lights to call for safer streets for children to cycle on.
The family friendly event aimed to show how many youngsters would cycle to school if parents felt it was safe - whilst remaining light-hearted with bikes decorated in festive lights and riders wearing reindeer antlers.
The event was organised by newly recognised charity Safe, Sustainable Travel Torbay, with Torbay's Bike Mayor Beth Huntley saying: “Events like this show how many people in Torbay want choices about how they get about.
"Families really enjoy cycling together and having fun. Part of the issue is that Torquay does not have good infrastructure to allow children to get about on safe traffic free routes.”
Beth, whose position is not formally recognised by the council but instead by a Dutch charity, added: "The turnout shows wide local support for investment in safer streets and better walking and cycling infrastructure, reflecting a desire for travel options that work for all residents, not only confident riders."
In the past Devon NHS has warned about rising levels of obesity amongst local children and said it worries about the rise in 'preventable conditions' and subsequent costs to the health service.
Beth added: "It's really great to see loads of children, families and young people out on bikes but obviously there's a serious message that it would be really nice if we had some better, safer infrastructure so people could get about safely.
"With this event it feels a lot safer riding in a group and we're going to mainly use the shared pathways etc but we know they are not connected and they don't provide - for example - a good opportunity for children to be able to cycle to school. There's lots more work to do.
"This event is just to show it's a super popular activity and also have fun at the same time."